Radiation-sensitive polycondensates, processes for their preparation coated material and its use

ABSTRACT

Homopolycondensates and copolycondensates of the group comprising linear, saturated polyamides, polyesters, polyamide-imides, polyester-imides and polyester-amides based on benzophenonedicarboxylic acids and benzophenonetricarboxylic acids are radiation-sensitive and are particularly suitable for the production of protective coatings and relief images.

The present invention relates to radiation-sensitive linear saturatedhomopolycondensates and copolycondensates of the group comprisingpolyesters, polyamides, polyester-amides, polyester-imides andpolyester-amide-imides with benzophenone-di- and/or -tri-carboxylic acidradicals, a material coated with these polycondensates and its use forthe production of protective coatings or photogratphic images.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,926,639 discloses that polymers which contain radicalsof benzophenonecarboxylic acids are also photopolymerisable or aresuitable as photoinitiators for photopolymerisable compounds. Polyestersand polyamides are also mentioned generally. These polyesters andpolyamides contain radicals of ethylenically unsaturated carboxylicacids or alcohols as photopolymerisable groups. Furthermore, saturatedand crosslinked polyesters obtained from trifunctional andtetrafunctional carboxylic acids and alcohols in a mixture withdicarboxylic acids and diols are described in the examples. Thesepolyesters are soft, tacky materials. Such materials are difficult tohandle and their thermomechanical properties do not fulfil therequirements imposed on such materials in various fields of application.

The present invention relates to radiation-sensitive linear saturatedhomopolycondensates and copolycondensates from the group comprisingpolyesters, polyester-amides, polyamides, polyester-imides andpolyamide-imides with benzophenone-di- or -tri-carboxylic acid radicals,with at least one of the recurring structural elements of the formula Iand/or II ##STR1## and, in the case of copolycondensates, also recurringstructural elements of the formula III and/or IV ##STR2## in which theimide group in structural element II is bonded to two adjacent C atoms,m is 0 or a number from 1 to 4, p is a number from 1 to 5 or 0 and n is0 or a number from 1 to 3, X is --S--, --O-- or --NR⁷ -- and Yindependently has the same meaning as X, R¹ is alkyl or alkoxy havingless than 6 C atoms, aryl having 6 to 10 C atoms, aralkyl having 7 to 10C atoms or halogen, R is an unsubstituted or substituted divalentaliphatic, cycloaliphatic, araliphatic or aromatic radical and, if X andY are the group --NR⁷ --, R and one of the radicals R⁷ together arealkylene having 5 to 7 C atoms, to which the second --NR⁷ -- group isbonded, or R is methylene, ethylene or propylene and the two radicals R⁷of the NR⁷ groups together are ethylene or propylene, or, if X or Y is--O-- or --S-- and the other is --NR⁷ --, R and R⁷ together are alkylenehaving 5-7 C atoms, R² is an unsubstituted or substituted divalentaliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon radical or, if X is the --NR⁷ --group, R² and R⁷ together are alkylene having 5 to 7 C atoms, R⁴independently has the same meaning as R and R⁶ independently has thesame meaning as R², R³ is a divalent saturated aliphatic or aromaticradical, R⁵ is a trivalent saturated aliphatic or aromatic radical inwhich the imide group is bonded to two adjacent C atoms and R⁷ is ahydrogen atom, alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, aralkyl or alkaralkyl, thecopolycondensates containing at least 10 mol %, based on thecopolycondensate, of structural elements of the formula I and/or II.

In formulae I and III, X and Y preferably have the same meaning, and Xand Y in formulae I-IV advantageously are a --NR⁷ -- group or --O--. Xand Y particularly preferably represent either --O-- or the NR⁷ group informulae I and III. In formulae II and IV, X is preferably the NR⁷group.

The amount of structural elements of the formulae I and/or II in thepolycondensates is preferably at least 50 mol %, in particular at least70 mol % and especially at least 90 mol %. The amount essentiallydepends on the desired radiation-sensitivity of the polycondensates.

In formulae I and II, p, m and n are preferably 1 or, in particular, 0.R¹ is preferably alkyl or alkoxy having 1 to 4 C atoms, in particularmethyl, ethyl or methoxy, or halogen, in particular Br or Cl.

A linear or branched alkyl radical R⁷ preferably contains 1 to 6 Catoms, and a cycloalkyl radical R⁷ preferably contains 5 to 7 ringcarbon atoms and can be cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl or methylcyclohexyl. Anaryl radical R⁷ is, in particular, a phenyl radical, for example phenyl,methylphenyl or benzyl. R⁷ is particularly preferably a hydrogen atom.

The carbonyl groups in the structural elements of the formulae I and IIare preferably bonded in the meta-position or, in particular, in thepara-position relative to the carbonyl bridge group, and the imide groupin formula II is preferably bonded in the ortho-/meta-position or, inparticular, the meta-/para-position relative to the carbonyl bridgegroup.

A divalent aliphatic radical R, R², R⁴ or R⁶ in formulae I to IVpreferably contains 2 to 30 C atoms. The radical particularly contains 6to 30, and especially 6 to 20, C atoms if X and Y are the NR⁷ group. IfX and Y in formulae I and III are --S-- or --O--, or X in formulae IIand IV is --O--, --S-- or the --NR⁷ -- group, the aliphatic radicalpreferably contains 2 to 20, and in particular 2 to 12, C atoms. In apreferred sub-group, R, R², R⁴ and R⁶ are linear or branched alkylene,which can be interrupted by oxygen atoms, NH, NR^(a), ⁺ NR₂ ^(a) G⁻,cyclopentylene, cyclohexylene, naphthylene phenylene or hydantoinradicals. R^(a) can be, for example, alkyl having 1 to 12 C atoms orcycloalkyl having 5 or 6 ring C atoms, phenyl or benzyl. G⁻ is an anionof a proton acid, for example halide, sulfate or phosphate. In anotherpreferred embodiment, R, R², R⁴ and R⁶ are linear or branched alkylene,--(CH₂)_(x) --R⁸ --(CH₂)_(y) --, in which R⁸ is phenylene, naphthylene,cyclopentylene or cyclohexylene and x and y independently of one anotherare the number 1, 2 or 3, --R⁹ --(OR¹⁰)_(p) --O--R⁹ --, in which R⁹ isethylene, 1,2-propylene, 1,3-propylene or 2-methyl-1,3-propylene and R¹⁰is ethylene, 1,2-propylene, 1,2-butylene, 1,3-propylene or 1,4-butyleneand p is a number from 1 to 100, or ##STR3##

Examples of aliphatic radicals are: ethylene, 1,2- or 1,3-propylene,2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propylene, 1,2- , 1,3- or 1,4-butylene, 1,3- or1,5-pentylene, the hexylenes, heptylenes, octylenes, decylenes,dodecylenes, tetradecylenes, hexadecylenes, octadecylenes andeicosylenes, 2,4,4-trimethylhexylene, 1,10-dialkyldecylene, in which thealkyl radical preferably has 1 to 6 C atoms, the substituted1,11-undecylenes, such as those described, for example, in European Pat.No. B-0,011,559, divalent radicals of jeffamines, for example ##STR4##where p=1 to 100 or ##STR5## where p=1-100, dimethylenecyclohexane,xylylene and diethylenebenzene. R, R², R⁴ and R⁶ are particularlypreferably longer-chain, branched alkylene having, for example, 8 to 30C atoms, if X and Y in formulae I to IV are --NR⁷ -- groups.

If X and Y in formulae I to IV, in particular in formulae I and III, are--O-- or --S--, R, R², R⁴ and R⁶, or R and R⁴, are preferably linearalkyl having 2 to 12, in particular 2 to 6, C atoms.

The aliphatic radicals interrupted by heterocyclic radicals can be, forexample, those which are derived from N,N'-aminoalkylated orN,N'-hydroxyalkylated hydantoins or benzimidazoles. Examples areN,N'-(γ-aminopropyl)-5,5-dimethyl-hydantoin or -benzimidazolone, andthose of the formula ##STR6## in which R^(b) is alkylene having 1 to 12,preferably 1 to 4, C atoms or ##STR7## in which R^(c) is a hydrogen atomor methyl and a is an integer from 1 to 20.

Examples of corresponding diols areN,N'-(β-hydroxyethyl)-5,5-dimethylhydantoin,N,N'-(β-hydroxyethyl)benzimidazolone andN,N'-β-hydroxyethyl)-4,5,6,7-tetrabromobenzimidazolone.

Examples of suitable substituents for the aliphatic radicals arehalogens, such as F or Cl, and alkyl or alkoxy having 1 to 6 C atoms.

A divalent cycloaliphatic radical R, R², R⁴ or R⁶ in formulae I to IVpreferably contains 5 to 8 ring C atoms and is, in particular,mononuclear or dinuclear cycloalkylene which has 5 to 7 ring C atoms andis unsubstituted or substituted by alkyl, which preferably contains 1 to4 C atoms. In a preferred embodiment, a cycloaliphatic radical R, R², R⁴or R⁶ is a radical of the formula ##STR8## in which q is 0 or 1, theradicals R¹¹ independently are hydrogen or alkyl having 1 to 6 C atomsand Q is a direct bond, O, S, SO₂, alkylene having 1 to 3 C atoms oralkylidene having 2 to 6 C atoms. R¹¹ is preferably ethyl or methyl, Qis preferably methylene and the alkylidene preferably contains 2 or 3 Catoms, such as ethylidene or 1,1- or 2,2-propylidene.

A cycloalkylene radical R, R², R⁴ and R⁶ is, for example: 1,2- or1,3-cyclopentylene, 1,2-, 1,3- or 1,4-cyclohexylene, cycloheptylene,cyclooctylene, methylcyclopentylene, methyl- or dimethyl-cyclohexylene,3- or 4-methylcyclohex-1-yl, 5-methyl-3-methylenecyclohex-1-yl, 3,3'- or4,4'-bis-cyclohexylene, 3,3'-dimethyl-4,4'-biscyclohexylene,4,4'-bis-cyclohexylene-ether, -sulfone, -methane or 2,2-propane, and thedivalent radicals of bis-aminomethyltricyclodecane,bis-aminomethylnorbornane and menthanediamine. Particularly preferreddivalent cycloaliphatic radicals are 1,4- or 1,3-cyclohexylene,methylenebis(cyclohex-4-yl) and methylenebis-(3-methylcyclohex-4-yl).

An araliphatic radical R, R², R⁴ or R⁶ preferably contains 7 to 30 Catoms. If the aromatic group of the araliphatic radical is bonded to Natoms in the radical of the formula I to IV, which is the preferredcase, these aromatic groups are preferably substituted in the same wayas an aromatic radical R, R², R⁴ or R⁶, the preferences being included.The araliphatic radical preferably contains 7 to 26, in particular 8 to22, C atoms. The aromatic radical in the araliphatic radical ispreferably a phenyl radical. An araliphatic radical R, R², R⁴ or R⁶ is,in particular, aralkylene which is unsubstituted or substituted on thearyl by alkyl, the alkylene radical being linear or branched. In apreferred embodiment, the araliphatic radical has the formula ##STR9##in which the radicals R¹² independently of one another are hydrogenatoms or, in particular, alkyl having 1-6 C atoms and R is an integerfrom 1 to 20. The free bond can be in the o-position, m-position or, inparticular, p-position relative to the C_(r) H_(2r) group, and one orboth of the radicals R¹² are preferably bonded in the o-positionrelative to the free bond. If X and Y are --O-- or --S--, thearaliphatic radical is preferably substituted.

Examples of a divalent araliphatic radical R, R², R⁴ or R⁶ are: m- orp-benzylene, 3-methyl-p-benzylene, 3-ethyl-p-benzylene,3,5-dimethyl-p-benzylene, 3,5-diethyl-p-benzylene,3-methyl-5-ethyl-p-benzylene, p-phenylenepropylene,3-methyl-p-phenylene-propylene, p-phenylenebutylene,3-ethyl-p-phenylenepentylene and, in particular, longer-chainphenylenealkylene radicals of diamines, which are described, forexample, in European Pat. No. A-0,069,062:6-(p-phenylene)-6-methylhept-2-yl,6-(3'-methyl-p-phenylene)-6-methylhept-2-yl,6-(3'-ethyl-p-phenylene)-6-methylhept-2-yl,6-(3',5'-dimethyl-p-phenylene)-6-methylhept-2-yl,11-(p-phenylene)-2,11-dimethyl-dodec-1-yl and13-(p-phenylene)-2,12-dimethyltetradec-3-yl.

Partially preferred homopolycondensates and copolycondensates are thosewith structural elements of the formulae I to IV in which R, R², R⁴ andR⁶ are unsubstituted in particular, substituted aromatic radicals and Xand Y are the --NR⁷ -- group. The substituent on the aromatic radicalpreferably contains 1 to 20, in particular 1-12 and especially 1-6, Catoms. In particular, the substituent is linear or branched alkyl,alkoxy or alkoxyalkyl having 1 to 6 C atoms, benzyl, trimethylene ortetramethylene. Alkoxy methyl is the preferred alkoxyalkyl radical, andmethoxy is the preferred alkoxy radical. Examples of the substituentsare: methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, pentyl, hexyl,octyl, dodecyl, tetradecyl, eicosyl, methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, butoxy,pentoxy, hexoxy, methoxymethyl, methoxyethyl, ethoxymethyl,propoxymethyl, butoxymethyl, benzyl, methylbenzyl and phenethyl.Preferred radicals are methoxymethyl, ethoxymethyl, methyl, ethyl,trimethylene and tetramethylene. Methyl and ethyl are particularlypreferred. The aromatic radical can be a mononuclear or polynuclear, inparticular dinuclear, radical. Mononuclear radicals can contain 1 to 4,preferably 2 to 4 and especially 4, substituents, and dinuclear radicalscan contain 1 to 4, preferably 2, substituents in each nucleus. It hasbeen found that the photosensitivity of the homopolycondensates orcopolycondensates is particularly high if one or, in particular, twosubstituents are bonded in the ortho-position relative to the X and/or Ygroup, and X and Y are --NR⁷ --. Such polycondensates also haveparticularly good thermomechanical properties. Substitution in one orboth of the ortho-positions is thus preferred in this case. The aromaticradical is preferably bonded in the meta- or para-position relative tothe X and/or Y group. If X and Y are --O-- or --S--, unsubstituteddinuclear aromatic radicals are preferred.

An aromatic radical R or R' can contain 6 to 30, in particular 6 to 20,C atoms. The aromatic radical is preferably a hydrocarbon radical, inparticular a mononuclear or dinuclear phenylene radical, a naphthyleneradical or a pyridine radical, which is substituted by alkyl,alkoxyalkyl, alkoxy, trimethylene or tetramethylene.

A preferred sub-group is formed by those aromatic radicals of theformulae ##STR10## in which all the radicals R¹² are hydrogen atoms or,in the case of monosubstitution, one radical R¹² is alkyl having 1 to 6C atoms and the other radicals R¹² are hydrogen atoms, or, in the caseof di-, tri- or tetra-substitution, two of the radicals R¹² are alkylhaving 1 to 6 C atoms and the other radicals R¹² are hydrogen atoms oralkyl having 1 to 6 C atoms, or, in the case of di-, tri- ortetra-substitution, two vicinal radicals R¹² in the phenyl ring aretrimethylene or tetramethylene and the other radicals R¹² are hydrogenatoms or alkyl having 1 to 6 C atoms, A is O, S, NH, CO or CH₂, R¹³ is ahydrogen atom or alkyl having 1 to 5 C atoms and R¹⁴ is alkyl having ineach case 1 to 5 C atoms, and Z is a direct bond, O, S, SO, SO₂, CO,##STR11## NR¹⁵, CONH, NH, R¹⁵ SiR¹⁶, R¹⁵ OSiOR¹⁶, alkylene having 1 to 6C atoms, alkenylene or alkylidene having 2 to 6 C atoms, phenylene orphenyldioxyl, in which R¹⁵ and R¹⁶ independently of one another arealkyl having 1 to 6 C atoms or phenyl. R¹³ and R¹⁴ are preferablymethyl, A is preferably --CH₂ -- or --O-- and Z is preferably a directbond, --O--, --CH₂ -- or alkylidene having 2 to 4 C atoms. R¹⁵ and R¹⁶are preferably methyl, ethyl or phenyl. The alkylene radical preferablycontains 2 to 4 C atoms and is, in particular, ethylene. Alkenylene is,in particular, ethenylene.

A preferred sub-group are toluylene radicals and radicals ofo,o'-substituted diaminodiphenylenes, diaminodiphenylmethanes anddiaminodiphenyl ethers.

A particularly preferred group is formed by those aromatic radicals ofthe formulae ##STR12## in which Z is a direct bond, O or, in particular,CH₂ and R¹⁷ is a hydrogen atom or, in particular, methyl or ethyl.

Examples of unsubstituted and substituted aromatic radicals are 1,3- or1,4-phenylene, 2,4- or 2,7-naphthylene, 4,4'-diphenylene,4,4'-diphenylenemethane, 4,4'-diphenylene ether, 4-methyl-1,3-phenylene,4-ethyl-1,3-phenylene, 2-methyl-1,3-phenylene, 4-benzyl-1,3-phenylene,4-methoxymethyl-1,3-phenylene, tetrahydro-1,3- or -1,4-naphthylene,3-propyl-1,3- or -1,4-phenylene, 3-isopropyl-1,4-phenylene,3,5-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene, 2,4-dimethyl-1,3-phenylene,2,3-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene, 5-methyl-1,3-phenylene,2,3,5,6-tetramethyl-1,4- or -1,3-phenylene, 3-methyl-2,6-pyridylene,3,5-dimethyl-2,6-pyridylene, 3-ethyl-2,6-pyridylene,1-methyl-2,7-naphthylene, 1,6-dimethyl-2,7-naphthylene,1-methyl-2,4-naphthylene, 1,3-dimethyl-2,4-naphthylene, the divalentradicals of 5-amino-1-(3'-amino-4'-methylphenyl)-1,3,3-trimethylindaneor 6-amino-5-methyl-1-(3'-amino-4'-methyl)-1,3,3-trimethylindane,4-methoxymethyl-1,3-phenylene, 3-methyl-p-diphenylene,3-ethyl-p-diphenylene, 3,3'-dimethyl-p-diphenylene,3,3'-diethyl-p-diphenylene, 3-methyl-3'-ethyl-p-diphenylene,3,3',5,5'-tetramethyl-diphenylene, 3,3'-methyl-5,5'ethyl-p-diphenylene,4,4'-dimethyl-m-diphenylene, 3,3'-diisopropyldiphenylene and radicals ofthe formulae ##STR13## in which Z', R¹⁸, R¹⁹, R²⁰ and R²¹ are as definedin the following table:

    ______________________________________                                        Z'        R.sup.18  R.sup.19  R.sup.20                                                                              R.sup.21                                ______________________________________                                        CH.sub.2  Methyl    Methyl    --      --                                      CH.sub.2  Methyl    Ethyl     --      --                                      CH.sub.2  Ethyl     Ethyl     --      --                                      CH.sub.2  Isopropyl Isopropyl --      --                                      CH.sub.2  Methoxymethyl   --        --                                        CH.sub.2  Benzyl    Benzyl    --      --                                      CH.sub.2  Methyl    Methyl    H       H                                       CH.sub.2  Ethyl     Ethyl     H       H                                       CH.sub.2  Isopropyl Isopropyl H       H                                       CH.sub.2  Methoxymethyl   H         H                                         CH.sub.2  Methyl    Ethyl     H       H                                       CH.sub.2  Methoxymethyl   Methoxymethyl                                       CH.sub.2  Methyl    Methyl    Methyl  Methyl                                  CH.sub.2  Ethyl     Ethyl     Ethyl   Ethyl                                   CH.sub.2  Methyl    Methyl    Ethyl   Ethyl                                   CH.sub.2  Ethyl     Ethyl     Isopropyl                                                                             Isopropyl                               CH.sub.2  Isopropyl Isopropyl Isopropyl                                                                             Isopropyl                               CH.sub.2  Isopropyl Isopropyl H       H                                       CH.sub.2  Methoxy   Methoxy   H       H                                       O         Methyl    Methyl    --      --                                      O         Ethyl     Ethyl     --      --                                      O         Methyl    Methyl    H       H                                       O         Methyl    Methyl    Methyl  Methyl                                  O         Methyl    Methyl    Ethyl   Ethyl                                   S         Methyl    Methyl    --      --                                      S         Ethyl     Ethyl     --      --                                      S         Methyl    Methyl    H       H                                       S         Methyl    Methyl    Methyl  Methyl                                  S         Ethyl     Ethyl     Ethyl   Ethyl                                   S         Methyl    Methyl    Ethyl   Ethyl                                   CO        Methyl    Methyl    --      --                                      CO        Methyl    Methyl    H       H                                       CO        Methyl    Methyl    Methyl  Methyl                                  SO.sub.2  Methyl    Methyl    --      --                                      SO.sub.2  Methyl    Methyl    H       H                                       SO.sub.2  Methyl    Methyl    Methyl  Methyl                                  SO.sub.2  Ethyl     Ethyl     Methyl  Methyl                                  SO        Methyl    Methyl    --      --                                      SO        Methyl    Methyl    H       H                                       COO       Methyl    Methyl    H       H                                       COO       Methyl    Methyl    Methyl  Methyl                                  CONCH.sub.3                                                                             Methyl    Methyl    H       H                                       NCH.sub.3 Methyl    Methyl    --      --                                      NCH.sub.3 Methyl    Methyl    Methyl  Methyl                                  CONH      Methyl    Methyl    --      --                                      NH        Ethyl     Ethyl     H       H                                       NH        Methyl    Methyl    --      --                                      Si(Methyl).sub.2                                                                        Methyl    Methyl    --      --                                      Si(Phenyl).sub.2                                                                        Methyl    Methyl    Methyl  Methyl                                  Si(OMethyl).sub.2                                                                       Ethyl     Ethyl     --      --                                      Si(OPhenyl).sub.2                                                                       Methyl    Methyl    H       H                                       Ethylene  Methyl    Methyl    --      --                                      Ethylene  Methyl    Methyl    Methyl  Methyl                                  Ethylene  Ethyl     Ethyl     H       H                                       Ethylene  Methyl    Methyl    --      --                                      Phenylene H         H         Methyl  Methyl                                  Phenylene Alkyl     Alkyl     --      --                                      (CH.sub.3).sub.2 C                                                                      Methyl    Methyl    H       H                                       (CH.sub.3).sub.2 C                                                                      Methyl    Methyl    Methyl  Methyl                                  ______________________________________                                    

If X and Y in formulae I and III are the NR⁷ group, or X or Y is --O--or --S-- and the other is the NR⁷ group, or X in formulae II and IV isan oxygen atom, R and one of the radicals R⁷, or R² and R⁷ together canbe alkylene having 5-7 C atoms, to which the second --NR⁷ -- group or--O-- or --S-- is bonded, or R and R² are methylene, ethylene orpropylene and the two radicals R⁷ of the NR⁷ groups together areethylene or propylene. The radicals thus defined are derived fromheterocyclic diamines or amino-alcohols or -thiols. Examples of theseare: 3-aminopyrrolidine, 3-hydroxypyrrolidine, imidazolidine, 3- or4-aminopiperidine, 3- or 4-hydroxypiperidine and piperazine.

A preferred group of polycondensates are those in which X and Y informulae I to IV are the --NR⁷ -- group and R, R², R⁴ and R⁶ areradicals of the formulae ##STR14## in which Z is a direct bond, --O--or, particular, --CH₂ -- and R¹⁷ is ethyl or, in particular, methyl, orbranched alkylene having 6 to 20 C atoms, which is branched, inparticular, in the α-position relative to the --NR⁷ -- group.

If X and Y in formulae I and III are oxygen atoms, in a preferredembodiment R or R⁴ is branched or, in particular, linear alkylene having2 to 20, in particular 2 to 12, C atoms, the divalent radical of apolyoxyalkylene having 2-100 oxaalkylene units, for example --(OCH₂ CH₂O)_(u), ##STR15## or --(OCH₂ CH₂ CH₂ O)_(u), where u=2 to 100,cyclohexylene, ##STR16## benzylene or a mononuclear or dinuclearphenylene radical of the formula ##STR17## in which v is 0 or 1, L is adirect bond, --O--, --S--, --SO--, --SO₂ --, CO, methylene, ethylidene,1,1- or 2,2-propylidene, butylidene or cyclohexylidene and G isethylene, 1,2-propylene or 2-hydroxy-1,3-propylene. The phenyleneradicals can be substituted by alkyl or alkoxy having 1 to 4 C atoms orhalogen, in particular Cl and Br.

R³ is the divalent radical of a saturated organic dicarboxylic acid. Thealiphatic radical can contain 2 to 40, preferably 2 to 20, C atoms, andin particular 2-12 C atoms. R³ can be, for example, a cycloaliphaticradical having 5 to 7 ring carbon atoms or linear or branched alkylenehaving 2 to 12 C atoms. An aromatic radical R³ preferably contains 6-18C atoms and is preferably an aromatic hydrocarbon radical.

Aliphatic dicarboxylic acids are those having 2 to 40 C atoms, forexample oxalic acid, malonic acid, dimethylmalonic acid, succinic acid,pimelic acid, adipic acid, trimethyladipic acid, sebacic acid, azelaicacid and hydrogenated dimeric acids (dimerisation products ofunsaturated aliphatic carboxylic acids such as oleic acid), andalkylated malonic and succinic acids, such as octadecylsuccinic acid.

Cycloaliphatic dicarboxylic acids are: 1,3-cyclobutanedicarboxylic acid,1,3-cyclopentanedicarboxylic acid, 1,3- and 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylicacid, 1,3- and 1,4-(dicarboxymethyl)-cyclohexane and4,4'-dicyclohexyldicarboxylic acid.

Suitable aromatic dicarboxylic acids are: terephthalic acid, isophthalicacid, o-phthalic acid, 1,3-, 1,4-, 2,6- or 2,7-naphthalenedicarboxylicacid, 4,4'-diphenyldicarboxylic acid, 4,4'-diphenyl sulfone-carboxylicacid, 1,1,3-trimethyl-5-carboxy-3-(p-carboxyphenyl)-indane,4,4'-diphenyl ether-dicarboxylic acid, bis-p-(carboxyphenyl)-methane andtetrabromoterephthalic acid.

Aromatic and cycloaliphatic orthodicarboxylic acids and glutaric acidsand succinic acids are less suitable for polyamides, since they tend toform imides under the influence of primary amines. The aromaticdicarboxylic acids are preferred, and of these terephthalic acid andisophthalic acid are particularly preferred.

R⁵ is the trivalent radical of a saturated aliphatic or aromatictricarboxylic acid in which two carboxyl groups are bonded to twoadjacent C atoms. The trivalent radical can contain 2 to 16 C atoms. R⁵is preferably an aromatic radical. Examples of tricarboxylic acids withan aliphatic radical are ethylenetricarboxylic acid and1,3,4-tricarboxycyclohexane. Examples of aromatic radicals are, inparticular, trimellitic acid as well as 2,6,7-naphthalenetricarboxylicacid, 3,4,4'-diphenyltricarboxylic acid,3',3,4-diphenyloxide-tricarboxylic acid,3,4,4'-diphenylmethanetricarboxylic acid and 3,4,4'-diphenylsulfone-tricarboxylic acid.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the polycondensates containstructural elements of the formula ##STR18##

The polycondensates according to the invention can have averagemolecular weights (weight-average Mw) of at least 2,000, preferably atleast 5,000. The upper limit essentially depends on the desiredproperties, for example their processability or solubility. It can be upto 500,000, preferably up to 100,000 and in particular up to 50,000. Thepolycondensates can furthermore be random polymers or block polymers.They are prepared by customary processes in equipment provided for thispurpose. The polymers are preferably linear in structure, but can bebranched to a low degree with at least trifunctional monomers, such astriamines, triols or tetrols, which are added in small amounts.

The invention furthermore relates to a process for the preparation ofthe homopolycondensates and copolycondensates according to theinvention, which comprises polycondensing a benzophenonedicarboxylicacid of the formula V ##STR19## or a benzophenonetricarboxylic acid ofthe formula VI ##STR20## or a mixture of these acids in an amount of atleast 10 mol %, based on the polycondensates, if appropriate togetherwith a dicarboxylic acid of the formula VII and/or a tricarboxylic acidof the formula VIII ##STR21## or their polyester- or polyamide-formingderivatives with a diol, dimercaptan, diamine, amino-alcohol,aminomercaptan or hydroxymercaptan of the formula IX or a mixture ofthese monomers

    HX--R--YH                                                  (IX)

in which m, n, R¹, R³, R⁵ and R⁷ are as defined and X and Y either are--O--, --S-- or --NR⁷ --, or X is --O-- or --S-- and Y is --NR⁷ --.

The reactants of the formulae V to IX are known, or they can be preparedby known processes. Examples of suitable polyamide- or polyester-formingderivatives are acid anhydrides, acid amides, acid halides and acidesters. Examples of suitable preparation processes are solventpolycondensation, melt condensation and phase boundary polycondensation.Suitable solvents are mentioned below. Homopolycondensates andcopolycondensates with imide groups can be prepared in 2 stages by firstpreparing intermediates of these polycondensates with amide groups andconverting the amide groups into imide groups in a second stage, whichcan be carried out by means of heat or in the presence of water-bindingagents, such as carboxylic acid anhydrides.

The reaction temperatures essentially depend on the starting materialsor their reactivity. They can be -50° to 350° C., preferably 50° to 300°C. The polycondensation can furthermore be carried out under normalpressure or reduced pressure. The water, alcohol or amine formed duringthe condensation is advantageously removed from the reaction mixtureduring the process, or hydrogen halides formed, for example HCl or HBr,are bonded by addition of suitable agents, such as tertiary amines orepoxides.

Polyesters are likewise advantageously prepared in two stages bycarrying out an esterification or transesterification with the diol ordimercaptan in a first stage and then continuing the polycondensation,preferably in the melt, with removal of the excess diol or mercaptanformed, until the desired viscosity is reached.

The polycondensates according to the invention are polymers which can becrosslinked directly by the action of radiation. They are suitable forthe production of shaped articles, films and fibres and for coatingsubstrates, for protection of surfaces or for the production of reliefimages, it being possible for the properties of the polycondensates tobe modified by irradiation. Some of the polycondensates according to theinvention are thermoplastics which can be processed by the methodscustomary for this class of polymer. The high-melting polycondensates,in particular the completely aromatic polycondensates, are preferablyprocessed from solution.

A preferred field of application is the use for coating surfaces and theproduction of relief images on such coated substrates, to which thepresent invention furthermore relates. It is particularly advantageousthat, in order to achieve the desired properties, the polycondensatesaccording to the invention can be appropriately modified for particularrequirements imposed during use by choosing different monomers and/or bymixing various polycondensates.

To produce the coated material according to the invention, apolycondensate or mixtures thereof are advantageously dissolved in asuitable organic solvent, if necessary with warming. Examples ofsuitable solvents are polar aprotic solvents, which can be used bythemselves or in mixtures of at least two solvents. Examples are:ethers, such as dibutyl ether, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, ethyleneglycol, dimethyl-ethylene glycol, dimethyl-diethylene glycol,diethyl-diethylene glycol and dimethyl-triethylene glycol, halogenatedhydrocarbons, such as methylene chloride, chloroform,1,2-dichloroethane, 1,1,1-trichloroethane and 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane,carboxylic acid esters and lactones, such as ethyl acetate, methylpropionate, ethyl benzoate, 2-methoxyethyl acetate, γ-butyrolactone,o-valerolactone and pivalolactone, carboxylic acid amides and lactams,such as formamide, acetamide, N-methylformamide, N,N-dimethylformamide,N,N-diethylformamide, N,N-dimethylacetamide, N,N-diethylacetamide,γ-butyrolactam, Σ-caprolactam, N-methylpyrrolidone, N-acetylpyrrolidone,N-methylcaprolactam, tetramethylurea and hexamethylphosphoric acidtriamide, sulfoxides, such as dimethylsulfoxide, sulfones, such asdimethyl sulfone, diethyl sulfone, trimethylene sulfone andtetramethylene sulfone, trimethylamine, triethylamine,N-methylpyrrolidine, N-methylpiperidine, N-methylmorpholine andsubstituted benzenes, such as chlorobenzene, nitrobenzene, phenols orcresol.

Undissolved portions can be removed by filtration, preferably bypressure filtration. The concentration of polymer in the coating agentthus obtained is preferably not more than 50% by weight, in particularnot more than 30% by weight and especially not more than 20% by weight,based on the solution. The solutions are stable on storage.

Other customary additives which do not adversely affect thephotosensitivity can be incorporated during the preparation of thesolutions. Examples of these are delustering agents, flow controlagents, fine-particled fillers, flameproofing agents, fluorescentbrighteners, antioxidants, light stabilisers, stabilisers, dyes,pigments and adhesion promoters. Furthermore, if desired, sensitisers,for example thioxanthone derivatives or benzophenone derivatives, canalso additionally be incorporated in order to increase thephotosensitivity still further.

The coating agents can be applied to suitable substrates or carriers bycustomary methods, such as immersion, brushing and spraying methods andwhirler, cascade and curtain coating. Examples of suitable substratesare plastics, metals and metal alloys, semi-metals, semi-conductors,glass, ceramics and other inorganic materials, for example SiO₂ and Si₃N₄. Thereafter, the solvent is removed, if necessary by warming and ifnecessary in vacuo. Non-tacky, dry, uniform films are obtained.Depending on the application, the films applied can have coatingthicknesses of up to about 500 μm or more, preferably of 0.5 to 500 μmand in particular 1 to 50 μm.

The radiation-sensitive layer in the material according to the inventioncan be crosslinked by the action of radiation.

Photostructuring or photocrosslinking can be effected by high-energyradiation, for example by light, in particular in the UV range, byX-rays, laser light, electron beams and the like. The material accordingto the invention is outstandingly suitable for producing protectivefilms and passivating varnishes, and as a photographic recordingmaterial for heat-stable relief images.

The invention furthermore relates to this use. Examples of fields ofapplication are protective, insulating and passivating varnishes inelectrical engineering and electronics, photomasks for electronics,textile printing and the graphical industry, etch resists for theproduction of printed circuits and printing plates and integratedswitching circuits, relays for the production of X-ray masks,solder-stopping varnishes, dielectrics for multilayer circuits andstructural elements for liquid crystal displays.

Protective films are produced by direct exposure, the exposure timesessentially depending on the coating thicknesses and thephotosensitivity.

Photographic production of the relief structure is effected by imagewiseexposure through a photomask, subsequent development, with removal ofthe non-exposed portions, with a solvent or a solvent mixture, afterwhich the image produced can be stabilised, if appropriate, byafter-treatment with heat.

The invention furthermore relates to such a process for the applicationof relief structures. The abovementioned solvents are examples ofsuitable developers.

The polymer layer of the material according to the invention has aphotosensitivity which is sufficient for many application purposes andin some cases is high, and it can be photocrosslinked directly. Theprotective films and relief images have good adhesion and heat,mechanical and chemical stability. Only minor shrinkage is observedduring after-treatment with heat. Furthermore, additives for producingor increasing photosensitivity can be avoided. The material is stable onstorage but should be protected from the action of light.

The following examples illustrate the invention in more detail.

EXAMPLE 1

4.2417 g of a technical grade diamine mixture consisting of3,3'-diethyl-4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane,3-ethyl-4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane and 4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane withan equivalent weight of 116.5 g/equivalent) are dissolved in 40 ml ofN-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) and cooled to -15° C. under nitrogen in acylindrical vessel provided with a stirrer, dropping funnel,thermometer, gas inlet tube and gas outlet tube. 5.588 g ofbenzophenone-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid chloride are added in solid form,with stirring. When the substance has dissolved, the cooling is removedand stirring is continued for 4.5 hours, during which the internaltemperature rises gradually to room temperature. 4.0 g of triethylamineare then added dropwise in order to bond the HCl formed during thereaction. After 2 hours, the polyamide solution is poured onto 500 ml ofwater and the polyamide is precipitated by intense mixing in a domesticmixer. The polyamide is then filtered off, washed thoroughly with waterand dried at 80° C. in vacuo. The reduced viscosity (η red.) at 25° C.,measured as a 0.5% solution in m-cresol, is 0.80 dl/g.

The glass transition temperature Tg, measured by differential scanningcalorimetry (DSC) is 226° C.

Relief image production:

A polymer film about 1-2 μm thick is produced by whirler-coating a 5%polyamide solution onto a sheet of plastic laminated on one side withcopper, the solvent (N-methylpyrrolidone) being removed in a circulatingair oven at 80° C. The sheet thus coated is exposed to a 1,000 watt UVlamp at room temperature from a distance of 18 cm through a photomask(21 step Stouffer sensitivity guide). The sheet thus exposed is thendeveloped with N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP), the non-exposed portions ofthe polymer film being dissolved away. The image is rendered visible byetching the copper layer thus revealed with FeCl₃ solution. Asensitivity of 6-7 is achieved with an exposure time of 240 seconds.

EXAMPLES 2-13

Polyamides are prepared in a manner similar to that in Example 1 byreacting various diamines with stoichiometric amounts ofbenzophenone-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid chloride in NMP. In examples 6, 7,8, 9, 12 and 13, a corresponding amount of propylene oxide is usedinstead of triethylamine for bonding the HCl.

The physical data and sensitivity under the irradiation conditionsdescribed in Example 1 are summarised in Table 1.

EXAMPLE 14

1.99 g of 4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane are dissolved in 25 ml of NMP inan apparatus as described in Example 1, and 3.145 g ofbenzophenone-3,4,4'-tricarboxylic acid anhydride chloride are added at-15° C., under nitrogen and with stirring. When everything hasdissolved, the cooling is removed and the solution is stirred for 1.5hours. After addition of 0.65 g of propylene oxide, stirring iscontinued at room temperature for 3.5 hours. 2.2 g of triethylamine and4.6 g of acetic anhydride are then added dropwise and the solution isstirred at room temperature for 16 hours. The polyamide-imide isisolated by precipitation with water, as described in Example 1. Thephysical properties and the sensitivity under the irradiation conditionsdescribed in Example 1 are shown in Table 1.

EXAMPLES 15-18

Various polyamide-imides are prepared from diamines andbenzophenone-3,4,4'-tricarboxylic acid anhydride chloride in a mannersimilar to that in Example 14, and are used for photographic reliefimage production. In Examples 15 and 18, triethylamine is used insteadof propylene oxide for bonding the HCl. The physical properties andsensitivity under the irradiation conditions described in Example 1 aresummarised in Table 1.

EXAMPLE 19

4.52 g of 2,2-dimethyl-11-amino-11-isopropylundecan-1-ol and 5.625 g ofbenzophenone-3,4,4'-tricarboxylic acid are mixed in a cylindrical vesselprovided with a metal stirrer and a distillation attachment, and themixture is heated to 190° C., while passing nitrogen through. Thetemperature is increased to 240° C. in the course of 2 hours. When thetemperature has been set at 220° C., 1 g of ethylene glycol is added andthe temperature is increased again slowly to 250° C. After 3 hours, 600ppm of tetraisopropyl o-titanate are added and condensation is continuedfor a further 2 hours--first under a waterpump vacuum and then under ahigh vacuum (<1 mm Hg)--at 250° C. After cooling to room temperature,the polyester-imide is dissolved out of the vessel with NMP and isolatedby precipitation in water. The properties and the sensitivity are shownin Table 1.

EXAMPLE 20

5.12 g of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethyl-4,4'-dihydroxydiphenylmethane aredissolved in a mixture of 40 ml of 1N NaOH and 300 ml of water and thesolution is introduced into a domestic mixer. A solution of 6.14 g ofbenzophenone-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid chloride in 20 ml of chlorobenzeneis poured in, with vigorous stirring, and stirring of the mixture iscontinued for 10 minutes. The polyester precipitated is filtered off,stirring in 500 ml of alcohol for 15 minutes, filtered off again anddried in vacuo at 80°. The physical properties and sensitivity are shownin Table 1.

EXAMPLE 21

5.7 g of butane-1,4-diol, 5.18 g of benzophenone-4,4'-dicarboxylic acidethyl ester and 700 ppm of tetraisopropyl o-titanate are heated up to170° C. in a cylindrical vessel provided with a stirrer and distillationattachment, while passing nitrogen through, and the mixture is kept atthis temperature under normal pressure for 3 hours. When thetrans-esterification has ended, a vacuum is slowly applied. When apressure of <1 mm Hg has been reached, polycondensation is carried outfor 2 hours. After cooling to room temperature, the polyester is removedmechanically from the polycondensation vessel. The properties andsensitivity are shown in Table 1.

EXAMPLE 22

3.54 g of technical grade bisphenol A bisglycidyl ether, 3.14 g ofbenzophenone-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid and 0.037 ml of benzyldimethylaminein 38 ml of NMP are stirred at 135° C. for 7 hours under nitrogen. Aftercooling, the solution is used directly for film formation on thecopperlaminated sheet. For data for the relief image production, seeTable 1.

EXAMPLE 23

3.59 g of benzophenone-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid ethyl ester aretrans-esterified with 5.38 g of thiodiethylene glycol in a mannersimilar to that in Example 21 and the product is then polycondensed invacuo. For the properties and sensitivity, see Table 1.

EXAMPLES 24-26

Various diamines are reacted with stoichiometric amounts ofbenzophenonedicarboxylic acid chloride in a manner similar to that inExample 1. In these cases, a mixture of NMP and methylene chloride isused as the solvent, instead of NMP. The composition, properties andsensitivity are given in Table 1.

EXAMPLES 27-29

Polyamides are prepared in a manner similar to that in Example 1 byreacting various diamines with stoichiometric amounts of(1,3-phenylenedicarbonyl)-bis-4,4'-benzoyl chloride in NMP. The physicaldata and sensitivity are summarised in Table 1.

EXAMPLE 30

3.57 g of technical grade bisphenol A bisglycidyl ether, 4.39 g of(1,4-phenylenedicarbonyl)-bis-4,4'-benzoic acid and 0.04 ml ofbenzyldimethylaniline are warmed to 130° C. in 30 ml of NMP for 8 hours.After cooling, the solution is used directly for film formation on acopper-laminated sheet. The physical data and sensitivity are shown inTable 1.

                                      TABLE 7                                     __________________________________________________________________________                                     Exposure    Sensitivity                      Composition               ηred.                                                                         Tg time        (steps                           Example                                                                            Component 1   Component 2                                                                          (dl/g)                                                                            (°C.)                                                                     (seconds)                                                                          Developer                                                                            reproduced)                      __________________________________________________________________________     2   N,N'--dicyclohexyl-1,6-                                                                     BDCC.sup.1                                                                           0.51                                                                              123                                                                              180  NMP    7-8                                   diaminohexane                                                             3   DDM.sup.2     BDCC   0.87                                                                              271                                                                              300  NMP    5                                 4   m-phenylenediamine                                                                          BDCC   0.66                                                                              275                                                                              900  NMP/TCE.sup.3                                                                        7                                 5   3,3',5,5'-tetramethyl-                                                                      BDCC   0.70                                                                              285                                                                              120  NMP    4-5                                   DDM                                                                       6   2,4-diaminotoluene                                                                          BDCC   0.73                                                                              288                                                                              900  NMP/CHCl.sub.3                                                                       4                                 7   3,3'-dimethyl-5,5'-                                                                         BDCC   0.85                                                                              273                                                                              120  NMP/CHCl.sub.3                                                                       5-6                                   diethyl-DDM                                                               8   2-amino-6-methyl-6-(3-                                                                      BDCC   0.31                                                                              180                                                                              600  NMP/CHCl.sub.3                                                                       4                                     ethyl-4-aminophenyl)-                                                         heptane                                                                   9   m-xylylenediamine                                                                           BDCC   0.33                                                                              177                                                                              180  NMP/CHCl.sub.3                                                                       3-4                              10   piperazine    BDCC   0.41                                                                              256                                                                              180  CHCl.sub.3                                                                           4                                11   2,5-dimethylpiperazine                                                                      BDCC   0.48                                                                              235                                                                              150  NMP    5                                12   3,3'-diisopropyl-DDM                                                                        BDCC   0.64                                                                              204                                                                              180  NMP/CHCl.sub.3                                                                       3                                13   1,11-diamino-1-iso-                                                                         BDCC   0.40                                                                              123                                                                              120  NMP    6                                     propyl-10,10-dimethyl-                                                        undecane                                                                 14   DDM           BTCAC.sup.4                                                                          1.20                                                                              256                                                                              300  NMP    2-3                              15   3,3'-dimethyl-DDM                                                                           BTCAC  0.63                                                                              239                                                                              300  NMP    2-3                              16   2,4-diaminotoluene                                                                          BTCAC  0.81                                                                              296                                                                              600  NMP    6-7                              17   3,3',5,5'-tetramethyl-                                                                      BTCAC  1.13                                                                              300                                                                              180  NMP    8-9                                   DDM                                                                      18   1,10-diamino-1,10-di-n-                                                                     BTCAC  0.20                                                                               57                                                                               30  NMP    6-7                                   hexyldecane                                                              19   2,2-dimethyl-11-amino-11-                                                                   BTC.sup.5                                                                            0.59                                                                               84                                                                               15  NMP/CHCl.sub.3                                                                       6-7                                   isopropylundecan-1-ol                                                    20   3,3',5,5'-tetramethyl-                                                                      BDCC   0.30                                                                              172                                                                              300  CHCl.sub.3                                                                           3                                     4,4'-dihydroxydiphenyl-                                                       methane                                                                  21   butane-1,4-diol                                                                             BDCE.sup.6                                                                           0.43                                                                               67                                                                               20  CHCl.sub.3                                                                           7-8                              22   bisphenol A-bisglycidyl                                                                     BDC.sup.7                                                                            n.d..sup.8                                                                        n.d..sup.8                                                                       300  NMP    6                                     ether                                                                    23   thiodiethylene glycol                                                                       BDCE   0.14                                                                              n.d.                                                                             180  CHCl.sub.3                                                                           5                                24   N,N'--diisopropyl-hexa-                                                                     BDCC   0.40                                                                              100                                                                              150  CHCl.sub.3                                                                           4                                     methylenediamine                                                         25   1,10-diamino-1,10-                                                                          BDCC   0.65                                                                              133                                                                              120  NMP    6-7                                   dimethyldecane                                                           26   1,10-diamino-1,1,10,10-                                                                     BDCC   0.40                                                                              113                                                                              120  NMP    5-6                                   tetramethyldecane                                                        27   4,4'-diaminodiphenyl-                                                                       .sup.9 0.52                                                                              224                                                                              360  NMP    3                                     methane                                                                  28   1,11-diamino-1-isopropyl-                                                                   .sup.9 0.49                                                                              117                                                                              500  NMP    4                                     10,10-dimethylundecane                                                   29   3,3',5,5'-tetramethyl-                                                                      .sup.9 0.50                                                                              229                                                                              500  NMP    6-7                                   4,4'-diaminodiphenyl-                                                         methane                                                                  30   bisphenol A-bisglycidyl                                                                     .sup.10                                                                              0.15                                                                               95                                                                              120  NMP    2                                     ether                                                                    __________________________________________________________________________     .sup.1 BDCC = benzophenone4,4dicarboxylic acid dichloride                     .sup.2 DDM = 4,4'diaminodiphenylmethane                                       .sup.3 TCE = 1,1,1trichloroethane                                             .sup.4 BTAC = benzophenone3,4,4tricarboxylic acid anhydride chloride          .sup.5 BTC = benzophenone3,4,4tricarboxylic acid                              .sup.6 BDCE = benzophenone4,4dicarboxylic acid diethyl ester                  .sup.7 BCD = benzophenone4,4dicarboxylic acid                                 .sup.8 n.d. = not determined                                                  .sup.9 (1,3phenylenedicarbonyl)-bis-4,4benzoyl chloride                       .sup.10 (1,4phenylenedicarbonyl)-bis-4,4'benzoic acid                    

What is claimed is:
 1. A radiation-sensitive linear saturatedhomopolymer or copolymer, selected from the group consisting of thepolyamides and polyamide-imides, which comprises(a) 100 to 10 mol %,based on the total polymer, of at least one of the recurring structuralunits of formula I, formula II or mixtures thereof ##STR22## (b) 0 to 90mol %, based on the total polymer of recurring structural units offormula III, formula IV or mixtures thereof ##STR23## in which the imidegroup in structural element II is bonded to two adjacent C atoms, m is 0or a number from 1 to 4, p is 0 or a number from 1 to 5 and n is 0 or anumber from 1 to 3, X is --NR⁷ -- and Y independently has the samemeaning as X, R¹ is alkyl or alkoxy having less than 6 C atoms, arylhaving 6 to 10 C atoms, aralkyl having 7 to 10 C atoms or halogen, R isan unsubstituted divalent aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, araliphatic oraromatic radical; or said aliphatic radical substituted by halogen, byalkyl of 1 to 6 C atoms or by alkoxy of 1 to 6 C atoms; or saidcycloaliphatic radical substituted by alkyl of 1 to 4 C atoms, or saidaraliphatic radical substituted on the aryl by alkyl of 1 to 6 C atoms;or said aromatic radical substituted by alkoxyalkyl, alkoxy, by alkyl of1 to 6 C atoms, by trimethylene or tetramethylene; or R and one of theradicals R⁷ together are alkylene having 5 to 7 C atoms, to which thesecond --NR⁷ -- group is bonded, or R is methylene, ethylene orpropylene and the two radicals R⁷ of the NR⁷ groups together areethylene or propylene, R² is an unsubstituted divalent aliphatic oraromatic hydrocarbon radical; or said aliphatic radical substituted byhalogen, by alkyl of 1 to 6 C atoms or by alkoxy of 1 to 6 C atoms; orsaid aromatic radical substituted by alkoxyalkyl, by alkoxy, by alkyl of1 to 6 carbon atoms, by trimethylene or by tetramethylene; or R² and R⁷together are alkylene having 5 to 7 C atoms, R⁴ independently has thesame meaning as R, and R⁶ independently has the same meaning as R², R³is a divalent saturated aliphatic or aromatic radical, R⁵ is a trivalentsaturated aliphatic or aromatic radical in which the imide group isbonded to two adjacent C atoms and R⁷ is a hydrogen atom, alkyl,cycloalkyl, aryl, aralkyl or alkaralkyl.
 2. A polymer according to claim1 in which R, R², R⁴ and R⁶ independently of one another are, as analiphatic radical, linear or branched alkylene which can be interruptedby oxygen atoms, NH, NR^(a) or ⁺ NR"₂ G.sup.⊖, in which R^(a) is alkylhaving 1 to 12 C atoms or cycloalkyl having 5 or 6 ring C atoms, phenylor benzyl and G.sup.⊖ is the anion of a proton acid, or cyclohexylene,naphthylene, phenylene or a hydantoin; or, as a cycloaliphatic radical,monocyclic or bicyclic cycloalkylene which has 5 to 7 ring C atoms; orsaid cycloalkylene substituted by alkyl; or, as an araliphatic radical,aralkylene or said aralkylene substituted on the aryl by alkyl, it beingpossible for the alkylene to be linear or branched; or as an aromaticradical, are a hydrocarbon radical or pyridine radical or said radicalssubstituted by alkyl, alkoxy, alkoxyalkyl, trimethylene ortetramethylene.
 3. A polymer according to claim 1 in which X and Y informulae I to IV are the --NR⁷ -- group and R, R², R⁴ and R⁶ are anaromatic radical ##STR24## in which Z is a direct bond, O or CH₂, andR¹⁷ is methyl or ethyl, or branched alkylene having 6 to 20 C atoms,which is branched in the α-position relative to the --NR⁷ -- group.
 4. Apolymer according to claim 1, which contains at least 50 mol %, ofstructural elements of the formula I--II.
 5. A polymer according toclaim 1, in which p, m and n in the structural elements of the formulaeI and II are 1 or, in particular,
 0. 6. A polymer according to claim 1,in which R¹ is methyl, ethyl, methoxy, Br or Cl.
 7. A polymer accordingto claim 1, in which R⁷ is alkyl having 1 to 6 C atoms, cycloalkylhaving 5 or 6 ring carbon atoms, phenyl, benzyl or, a hydrogen atom. 8.A polymer according to claim 1, in which the carbonyl groups in thestructural elements of the formulae I and II are bonded in themeta-position or, in the para-position relative to the carbonyl bridgegroup and the imide group in the structural element of the formula II isbonded in the ortho-/meta-position, in the meta-/para-position, relativeto the carbonyl bridge group.
 9. A polymer according to claim 1, inwhich R, R², R⁴ and R⁶ contain 2 to 30 C atoms as an aliphatic radical,5 to 8 ring C atoms as a cycloaliphatic radical, 7 to 30 C atoms as anaraliphatic radical and 6 to 30 C atoms as an aromatic radical.
 10. Apolymer according to claim 1, in which X and Y in formulae I to IV arethe group --NR⁷ -- and the aliphatic or araliphatic radical contains 6to 22 C atoms.
 11. A polymer according to claim 2, in which R, R², R⁴and R⁶, as an aliphatic radical, are linear or branched alkylene having2 to 30 C atoms, --(CH₂)_(x) --R⁸ --(CH₂)_(y) --, in which R⁸ isphenylene, naphthylene, cyclopentylene or cyclohexylene and x and yindependently of one another are the number 1, 2 or 3, --R⁹ --(OR¹⁰)_(p)O--R⁹ --, in which R⁹ is ethylene, 1,2-propylene, 1,3-propylene or2-methyl-1,3-propylene and R¹⁰ is ethylene, 1,2-propylene, 1,2-butylene,1,3-propylene or 1,4-butylene and p is a number from 1 to 100, or##STR25##
 12. A polymer according to claim 2, in which R, R², R⁴ and R⁶,as a cycloaliphatic radical, are one of the formulae ##STR26## in whichq is 0 or 1, the radicals R¹¹ independently are hydrogen or alkyl having1 to 6 C atoms and Q is a direct bond, O, S, SO₂, alkylene having 1 to 3C atoms or alkylidene having 2 to 6 C atoms.
 13. A polymer according toclaim 2, in which R, R², R⁴ and R⁶, as an aromatic radical, aresubstituted by alkyl, alkoxy or alkoxyalkyl having 1 to 6 C atoms, ortwo adjacent C atoms of the aromatic radical are substituted bytrimethylene or tetramethylene.
 14. A polymer according to claim 13, inwhich X and Y in the formulae I to IV are the group --NR⁷ -- and one ortwo substituents are bonded in the ortho-position relative to the --NR⁷-- group.
 15. A polymer according to claim 2, in which the araliphaticradical has the formula ##STR27## in which the radicals R¹²independently of one another are hydrogen atoms or alkyl having 1 to 6 Catoms and r is an integer from 1 to
 16. 16. A polymer according to claim15, in which the free bond is in the p-position relative to the C_(r)H_(2r) group and one or both of the radicals R¹², as alkyl, are bondedin the o-position relative to the free bond.
 17. A polymer according toclaim 2, in which the aromatic radical has the formula ##STR28## inwhich the radicals R¹² are hydrogen atoms or, in the case ofmonosubstitution, one radical R¹² is alkyl having 1 to 6 C atoms and theother radicals R¹² are hydrogen atoms, or, in the case of di-, tri- ortetra-substitution, two of the radicals R¹² are alkyl having 1 to 6 Catoms and the other radicals R¹² are hydrogen atoms or alkyl having 1 to6 C atoms, or, in the case of di-, tri- or tetra-substitution, twovicinal radicals R¹² in the phenyl ring are trimethylene ortetramethylene and the other radicals R¹² are hydrogen atoms or alkylhaving 1 to 6 C atoms, A is O, S, NH, CO or CH₂, R¹³ is a hydrogen atomor alkyl having 1 to 5 C atoms and R¹⁴ is alkyl having in each case 1 to5 C atoms, and Z is a direct bond, O, S, SO, SO₂, CO, ##STR29## NR¹⁵,CONH, NH, R¹⁵ SiR¹⁶, R¹⁵ OSiOR¹⁶, alkylene having 1 to 6 C atoms,alkenylene or alkylidene having 2 to 6 C atoms, phenylene orphenyldioxyl, in which R¹⁵ and R¹⁶ independently of one another arealkyl having 1 to 6 C atoms or phenyl.
 18. A polymer according to claim17, in which the aromatic radical is ##STR30## in which Z is a directbond, O or, CH₂ and R¹⁷ is a hydrogen atom, methyl or ethyl.
 19. Apolymer according to claim 1, in which R³ in formula III is linear orbranched alkylene having 2 to 12 C atoms, cycloalkylene with 5 to 7 ringcarbon atoms or an aromatic hydrocarbon radical having 6 to 18 C atoms.20. A polymer according to claim 1, in which R⁵ in formula IV isphen-1,2,4-triyl.
 21. A polymer according to claim 1, which contains thestructural elements ##STR31##
 22. A coated material containing a layerof a polymer according to claim 1 on a carrier.